Meeting Someone New: Common Dog Behaviors and Solutions

Do you cringe when your doorbell rings, worried about how your dog will greet the person on the other side of the door? Many dog owners can get anxious for visitors, worried their dog may not exhibit great behavior. Here are a few common dog behaviors when it comes to meeting someone new, whether in the home or outside of it.

Barking

If the doorbell sends your dog into barking mode, even deliveries from Amazon can create stress in your home. Dogs bark for a variety of reasons, including protecting their territory and establishing dominance. They can also bark because they are excited or ready to happily greet a new face. In all cases, barking gets annoying for everyone pretty quickly.

You can work on barking with your dog by giving them something else to concentrate on. After all, your dog can only do one thing at once: bark or focus on obedience. We recommend putting your dog in the Place command after the doorbell rings to decrease barking behaviors.

Fear 

Sometimes, when your dog meets someone new, they can exhibit behaviors caused by fear. Your dog may growl, or raise the hairs on their back, or they could act skiddish. Even the most confident and friendly dog can exhibit fear-based behaviors when meeting someone new, but it can make you and the other person nervous. 

Reduce fear-based behaviors in your dog by increasing socialization and by building confidence. Spending the day in our Charleston dog training studio as a part of our Day Training Academy is the perfect start!

Jumping Up or Being Too Playful

Meeting someone new can be downright exciting for your dog, which means they may jump up on the new person or become too playful and energetic. In fact, sometimes a visit from someone new can cause a serious case of the zoomies in some dogs. 

We recommend teaching obedience commands and skills that remind the dog gently about the manners you expect.

Let us help you and your dog become better meeters and greeters. Call our experienced team today to learn our options for obedience training and practice.